Real Simple did a cookie feature in the December issue where they featured 10 kinds of “base” cookies and then a few variations of each, yielding a total of 30 cookies. I read that article a few weeks before Thanksgiving and thought I would try to bake one kind every week until Christmas… yes, I was a little too ambitious! It took me about 4 weeks just to bake the first cookie, but now that it’s done, I’m a little more motivated to try another.

These cookies are DELICIOUS. They are pure chocolate-sugar-and-butter and were a hit with my co-workers. I think the marshmallow variation would probably be great too, if you’re a fan of marshmallows. Or you could toss in some almonds and make them rocky road cookies… yum!

One caveat -I didn’t have 24 oz of semisweet chocolate so I did half semi and half milk chocolate (after extensive Google searching to confirm it was okay). Another note- I switched up the order of some of the directions because they didn’t seem efficient to me… what’s the point of preheating the oven early if you’re going to have a 15 minute cooling period?! Unless you have a very slow oven, it would be a waste of power/energy/electricity/gas. The ingredients/directions below reflect what I actually used/did, but you can go to the website to get the original.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

12 ounces (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips, chopped roughly

12 ounces (1 bag) milk chocolate chips, chopped roughly

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In another large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and 12 ounces of the chocolate (I did half of each semi and milk chocolate). Microwave on high in 30-second intervals (uncovered), stirring between each, until melted and smooth. (I think I microwaved for a total of ~2.5 minutes). Let cool slightly (I think I let it sit for about 2 minutes). Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate. Let cool for 15 minutes. I let mine sit out but in retrospect, I probably could have thrown it in the fridge to make the batter easier to work with.

During that cooling period, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use Silpat-type baking mats.

Bake until firm around the edges and cracked on the tops, 12 to 15 minutes.

Let cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. (Quick tip – pull off the parchment paper and stick the entire sheet on a cooling rack, run your baking sheet under cold water and then you’re ready to pop another batch in the oven!)